Editorials: Where I rant to the wall about politics. And sometimes the wall rants back.

East is East

Jerry Stratton, October 10, 2013

East to the East, and West to the West, and never the twain shall meet. Although, since Hotel Circle is in fact a loop you can go either way and as long as you don’t get impatient you’ll come back around to whichever direction you wish.

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;

But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,

When two strong men stand face to face though they come from the ends of the earth!

This familiar quotation is often used at odds to its actual meaning in the poem, which is that strong men are brothers wherever they arise. East shall never meet West only so long as weak leaders hold the reins because weakness attracts conflict.

East and West are not geographical locations. They are any two sides. Weak leadership vastly increases the chances of strife and chaos and violence.

In response to 2013 in photos: For photos and perhaps other quick notes sent from my mobile device or written on the fly during 2013.

Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border side,
And he has lifted the Colonel's mare that is the Colonel's pride.
He has lifted her out of the stable-door between the dawn and day
And turned the calkins upon her feet, and ridden her far away.

Lost?

Politicians love hidden taxes. When they raise the taxes on corporations and those corporations raise their prices as a result, the politicians get to preen about the “greedy corporations” instead of looking in the mirror to see who is truly greedy. — Larry J (Economics for Dummies or Presidents (But I Repeat Myself))